Prank Gone Wrong
by allthepossibilities
Summary: "Okay, Alfie. Operation: I want my mummy is a go." Jerome and Alfie are going to prank the others, but in the House of Anubis, nothing ever goes as planned. Who did this and why are they doing it to her?
1. I want my mummy

_Disclaimer: I'm tired today, so Patricia's volunteered to do it. Take it away!_

_Patricia: Sorry folks, this author doesn't own House of Anubis. This author OBVIOUSLY doesn't own me- nobody does- and any other characters. This was purely for fun._

**_A/N: JSYK (just so you know) Trudy was out shopping and Victor was at a meeting who-knows-where. Now to the story!_**

"Okay, Alfie. Operation: I want my mummy is a go." Alfie clapped his hands in glee. "Step one: open sarcophagus. Would you do the honor, my partner-in-crime?"

"With pleasure!" Alfie announced, with much relish. He wiggled his fingers 'mysteriously' and unlocked the sarcophagus. Then he paused for dramatic effect. If Alfie was looking inside as he drew back the lid, I might have been able to work in a really girlish, high-pitched, blood-curling scream. Instead Alfie had his eyes on Jerome, whose eyes grew as round as saucers, as he sunk to the floor in a dead faint.

"Hey, Jerome, buddy. That's enough." He chuckled nervously. "We're supposed to be pranking the others, not me." Jerome didn't stir. Alfie took a deep breath and peeked inside. What he saw made him jump back and dash into the common room, dragging Jerome behind him. His heart was beating as if he had run a marathon.

The sarcophagus was occupied.

_**A/N: *thunder rumbles* Who's in it? Find out next update- which I promise will be soon. Be nice when you review. Shorter chaps = quicker updates.**_


	2. Wrong song, Fifi

_Alfie would like to do the disclaimer now. He's been practicing._

_Alfie: Hey. Waddup? Word to all you readers. Amber if I was a gambler. I would put my money on you._

_Patricia: Wrong song, Fifi.*a loud smack can be heard*  
_

_Alfie: Whatever, Trixie. My head's not a baseball. There's no need to smack me.*he exits*_

_Author: Patricia, would you say it please._

_Patricia: Oh, all right. This author doesn't own HoA.  
_

**_A/N: JSYK (just so you know) Trudy was out shopping and Victor was at a meeting who-knows-where. Now to the story!_**

Jerome woke up, finding himself stuffed behind the couch. Alfie was rocking back**_-_**and-forth in a chair. "Alfie!" He snapped his fingers. "We need to do something. Someone else should check it out. Someone like...Fabian! He'll know what to do."

"Okay," Alfie nodded in agreement, "but you're getting him. I'm not going back there." Jerome huffed and left, smacking the top of Alfie's head as he went past.

He arrived at Fabian and Mick's room and paused. The faint strumming of guitar strings could be heard. He knocked, then rushed in. Luckily, only Fabian was in. Mick must've been out on a run. "Uhh...Fabian, there's something I think you should see."

"Is this another prank of yours?"

"No, I swear. There's something I REALLY think you should see. Fabian didn't look convinced. Jerome literally had to force the dreaded word out of his mouth. "Please!"

Fabian's heart nearly stopped. Jerome, saying please? This had to be serious. He set his guitar down and followed Jerome to the foyer. They were headed to the sarcophagus, whose lid was slightly open. Fabian stopped right in front of it, turned to Jerome and searched his face. Jerome backed up, and made a shooing motion with his hands. "Go on, open the door." Fabian gave him one last look and opened the door. Someone, bound and gagged, tumbled out, but he managed to catch them. That's when his heart stopped.

The person was Nina, and he couldn't tell if she was breathing.


	3. Is she breathing?

_Well since 'Fifi' is 'sick', Mick's volunteered to do the disclaimer as he plays hacky-sack._

_Mick:*Bounce* Well, you should all know *bounce* by now *bounce* this author doesn't *bounce* own House of Anubis. *bounce* Okay, sorry, auth, but my my hamstrings are tightening up. I'm heading out for a run._

Fabian was about to go into panic mode when he finally saw the slow, but steady rising and falling of her chest. He let out a sigh of relief, but then his fear turned into anger. He needed to let it out, and the closest person nearby was Jerome.

"What on earth possessed you to do this?" Fabian cried out. "Nina's the one who agreed to let you in on Sibuna! I am going to-" He was interrupted by Jerome.

"Dude, I swear I didn't do it. Ask Alfie; I fainted when I saw someone was in there. What can I swear on to make you believe me?"

"Alfie's life." Fabian remembered how distraught Jerome had been when Alfie was catatonic.

"Fine. I swear on Alfie's life, neither I, nor he did this to Nina."

"I believe you." Just then Amber came running down the stairs.

"Hey, have you seen...NINA! On my gosh! What happened?"

"Amber." Fabian removed his jacket, slid it gently underneath Nina's head, and stood up. "Just calm down. I'm going to carry Nina back up to your room. Go get a cool washcloth. Jerome, you grab a glass of water, please." They both rushed off. Fabian very carefully picked up Nina. He was extremely worried about her, but couldn't help giving a small smile when she snuggled closer to him. He looked down and mentally smacked himself. They'd forgotten to remove her bonds.

Nina was gently laid on her bed. Fabian removed her gag, and untied her wrists. Amber and Jerome walked in to Fabian massaging her fingers. Amber immediately put the cloth on Nina's head and started chanting her name, willing Nina to open her eyes. Jerome quietly set the glass down and left, not knowing what else he could do.


	4. insert thunder here

_Since I want Trudy to have her time in the limelight, she'll be doing the disclaimer._

_Author: Trudy, will you take it away?_

_Trudy(sets batch of famous chocolate chip cookies in the oven): Sure, sweetie. Alright, dearies, this author doesn't own House of Anubis. (looks at clock) Oh, dear! How time flies! Sorry, author, but I need to start on supper or I won't have enough to feed Mick, Jerome, Alfie, and the others._

_Author: That's fine. Thanks a bunch, Trudy. _

_Starlightchick: I don't want to give away too much, but here's a little emoticon for you __**;)**_

_**Now to the story:**_

Nina awoke, sat up, saw Fabian sitting in a chair right beside her bed, and nearly crushed him to death with a hug. He squeezed her back just as hard.

"Fabian! I...I..."

"Shh. Shh. it's okay, Nina. You're safe." Fabian said in a soothing voice. "Amber just went to get some food. When she gets back, you can tell us what happened...if you're ready." Nina could have kissed him right then, but fate (aka me) had other things in mind.

"Fabian, is she awake yet?" Amber whispered as she backed into the room carrying a tray of food. she set it down on her bed and turned around. Nina noticed mascara streaking her wet cheeks. When Amber's eyes locked on hers, she squealed, ran over, and Nina received another death squeeze. "Nina! I was so worried!" Amber was jumping up and down, but when she saw the look on Fabian's face, she stopped. "Sorry, Nins." she whispered. "Are you feeling better? Here's some of Trudy's tea."

"Thanks, Amber." Nina gratefully held out her hands for the cup, but was unable to get a steady grip on it.

"Here, let me do it." Fabian took the cup from Amber and gently lowered it to Nina's lips. She took a few sips.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Nina took a deep breath, then let it out.

"I think I'm ready now."

"Ready for what?" Fabian turned to Amber.

"She's ready to tell us what happened."

"Oh. Can I hold your hand?"

Nina gave her a small smile. "Sure, Amber." She patted the spot right next to her. Fabian watched her close her eyes. "Last night, remember I was the last one in the common room, finishing up science homework?" They both nodded. "I kept dozing off. One of those times, I felt rough hands on me. I was about to scream, but that's when the gag came on. Whoever it was forced me down the cellar stairs. At the bottom, i managed to get a good look at them. It was Rufus. (insert thunder here) 'Surprise, surprise, Chosen One.' he said. 'I'm not done with you yet. Victor and the others only knew about the elixir and the Cup, but there are other ways. Oh, yes, there are other ways to gain immortality.' It was so creepy. He tried to get me to reveal where the Cup of Ankh was, but I wouldn't tell him anything. That's when I blacked out, and now, here I am with you two." Nina reached back to push her hair out of her face and winced. Fabian noticed a lump rising and jumped out of his seat.

"Oh, dear! I can't believe I didn't notice that!" He rushed out of the room and came back with a bag of ice. "Here." He sat back down. "So it was Rufus?"

"Yeah." Nina watched Fabian's face start to turn red.

"I'm going to-"

"Wait!" Amber screamed. "Pause. Stop. Rewind. That fruit job can enter the house?"

'Fruit job?' Fabian mouthed to Nina. She chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"Fabian, when you leave, keep the chair in here. We are barricading the door at night. Nina, one of us is going to be with you at all times. You're my BAF (Best American Friend)! Nothing else is going to happen to you or my name isn't Amber... uhh..."

Fabian gave her a look. "Marie?" he prompted.

"Yeah, that's it. Nina, nothing else is going to happen to you, or my name isn't Amber Marie Millington!"

Wow, Nina and Fabian thought. That was quite a speech. Inspired, Fabian covered his eye with his right hand. "Sibuna."

"Sibuna."

"Sibuna."

A/N: Aww! I love the end of this chapter. JSYK: I'm making this up as I go. Update later. Sibuna.


	5. a black SUV in broad daylight

_Rufus was going to do the disclaimer, but in the words of Jerome: "What was on his audition tape? It's not repeatable." Since the others are in town, I guess I'll have to do it today. I don't own House of Anubis. Capiche?_

A week passed. Nina and the others went back to their regular schedules. Everything was back to normal, except for the fact that the Anubis housemates were all keeping a closer eye on Nina...especially Fabian. She didn't mind; she was freaked out way more than she let on. Each night Fabian would be the last one up, googling how to gain immortality and pondering Rufus' words.

In Drama class, Mr. Sweet called Nina to his office, saying there was someone there to see her. Fabian recognized his choice of words, but brushed his concerns aside. After all, it was broad daylight. What could possibly happen to Nina?He just continued jotting down notes, making an extra copy for Nina as well. When the final bell rang, he began to feel a bit apprehensive. He, Patricia, and Amber planned to stop by Anubis House via Mr. Sweet's office to check on Nina.

As they were cutting across campus, Fabian heard someone desperately screaming his name. He pinpointed the screamer's location. It was Nina in a black SUV. As Fabian ran toward her, he watched a hand forced over her mouth, and the SUV screeched away to who-knew-where. He stood still in the middle of the road, shocked. Patricia and Amber caught up to him.

"What was that all about?" panted Patricia.

"Yeah." Amber backed her up.

Fabian faced them. "I think Nina's just been kidnapped. Sibuna meeting. NOW!"

_AN: How are they going to track down Nina? Will Joy come into the picture? I know this chap was a bit short. Find out next update-either later today or tomorrow._


	6. deja vu

The meeting was a blur. Only snatches of it remained in Nina's head. 'Chosen One.' 'Rufus.' 'Safe house.' She didn't get it. Hadn't she already fulfilled her duty by building the cup? Then they had forced her into a black SUV. She managed to scream out Fabian's name. He saw her; she knew he did, but by the time he started racing toward her, the SUV was screeching away.

Luckily, the teachers had put some of her stuff in the trunk. They were planning on confiscating her phone, but she lied, telling them she left it at Fabian's uncle's shop. She was surprised the teachers believed her. Then again, Victor wasn't there.

Victor was having a phone conversation with Mr. Sweet. "Is it done, Eric?"

"Yes, Victor, but are you sure this is the proper course of action to take?"

"It has to be this way. Zeno knows the truth. Miss Martin may not reveal the Cup's location, but we still have a duty to protect her."

"Very well." Both of their phones clicked back into place.

Meanwhile, Jerome, Patricia, Fabian, Alfie, and Amber were all gathered in Fabian's room. (Mick was on a date with Mara.) He was describing to the others what he had witnessed.

"Wait," Patricia held up her hands, "a _black_ SUV you say?"

"Yes, but what has the color to do with anything?"

"It's just... that's how Joy disappeared." The others stared at her, mouths open wide.

"So," Amber broke the silence, "this is all deja vu? The only difference is that it's Nina this time, not Joy."

"If that's true," Alfie stated, "it must be because of Nina being the chosen one."

"But I thought all the Chosen One had to do was build the Cup of Ankh?"

"Hey, you lot. Has anyone tried calling her cell?" Jerome cut in, letting out some of his deeply hidden common sense. All of them turned to Fabian.

"No." he replied sheepishly. "I'll go ahead and put her on speaker." He dialed her number.

"Hey, it's Nina. Sorry, but I can't answer the phone right now."

"Oh, great. We got put straight to voice mail." Fabian held up a hand.

"Wait, guys. There's more." They all strained their ears to hear Nina's faint whisper.

"If you are in Sibuna, press seven."

"Ooh... creepy." Alfie wiggled his fingers. Amber shushed him. Fabian pressed seven.

"Hey, gang. I don't have much time. The teachers took me to a castle somewhere. I think it's only a cab ride away from the school. They said it's to protect me, but I don't feel safe.

Fabian, have you found out anymore about gaining immortality? Oh,no. What was that?

I have to go-someone's coming. I hope you're all okay. Sibuna." The line cut off. The others sat speechless, staring at the phone in Fabian's hand.

After a few minutes of silence, Alfie spoke up. "What's our next move?"

Fabian just shook his head. "I honestly don't know."

"TRUDY!" Victor called in his creepy voice from the foyer. "I'm off to a meeting with Mr. Sweet. Make sure these... children behave accordingly." The club heard the front door slam shut.

Patricia stood up. "Well, there's our next course of action. Whenever the teachers and Victor have a meeting, it's always in that room with the peephole in the girls' toilets. Amber and I will go check it out. Fabian, you do some more research. Jerome and Alfie... you just... do your thing." She grabbed Amber's arm and they left.

At the school, all the teachers who were in the Society gathered together. "The Chosen One is in the safe house. It is to be guarded at all times."

"What about her classmates? Won't they notice?"

Victor scoffed. "You saw how quickly they forgot about Joy. Ms. Martin's only been here for a term. The children will forget about her soon enough, mark my words. Jason, you're to remove all the posters from their little play."

"But that was our finest hour!"

"Do not argue with me, boy!" Mr. Winkler cowered.

"Very well."

"Alright," Mr. Sweet cut in. "You've all been informed. Meeting adjourned."

Patricia set the tile back in place. "Well, that was a big waste of time." Amber remarked.

"Yes, but not totally. This reminded me about Joy. If this is her disappearance all over again, wouldn't they take Nina to the same place? Back to the house! We need another Sibuna meeting."

Fabian was trying his hardest, but the internet was yielding no results. He was pounding the keyboard, frustrated, when Amber burst in and dragged him into Jerome and Alfie's room.

"Guys!" squealed Amber, after shutting the door. "We've had a breakthrough. We may not know where Nina is, but we know someone who does." She paused for maximum effect. "Joy!"

Fabian immediately sprang into action. "Patricia, have you called her?"

"On it." There was total silence in the room.

"Hello?"

Patricia turned to the others. A voice had answered alright, but it wasn't Joy's; it was-

_AN: Wow this chap was really long. 2 chaps in a day! Hooray! Be kind when reviewing. Thanks to 2funE4U for that small amount of publicity. You lot should check out hers, if you haven't already._


	7. You are free to go

_Jerome entered the story. "Hey, auth! You got some mail." I took it from him and ripped the envelope open._

_"No way! I just got the rights to House of Anubis!" I screamed as I was reading the letter. I turned away from Jerome, so I didn't see his smirk. "Wait! Hold on a sec. What's this at the bottom? Alfie's Alien Log, Stardate: Gamma Psi Phi 43208? Jerome! You little-"_

_"Hey, auth! Jerome." Fabian entered the room, his guitar in hand._

_"Hey, Fabes, can I borrow that for a bit? I'll give you the perfect gift for Nina."_

_"Sure." He looked confused, but went with it._

_"Great. Thanks. Now, Fabian, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the room and lock the door behind you. By the way, Nina's off to the library."_

_"Fine. I'll go catch up with her." Once Fabian had left I grinned evilly at Jerome. His smirk turned to fear, as he backed into the corner._

_"Come on, auth. Let's be rational about this." He chuckled nervously._

_"Oh, we'll certainly be rational, since I don't own House of Anubis." I raised up the guitar, holding it by its neck. "BTW, you owe Fabian a new guitar." Jerome still cowered in the corner._

_The screen fades to black as whacks and out of tune guitar strings are heard._

_Starlightchick: Am I that predictable or are you just awesome like that? Or both? BTW, you readers should check out her stories, if you haven't already._

**On to the story:**

**Recap(paraphrased): Nina was kidnapped. It turns out to be a deja vu of Joy's disappearance. Sibuna might have a lead to where she is. Patricia called Joy. Someone answered her call, but it wasn't Joy's voice; it was-**

Nina's!

"Nina! OMG! Are you okay?" Amber squealed for five whole minutes.

"Yeah, Amber. I'm fine."

Patricia butt in. "Nina, I'm glad you're alright an' all that, but where's Joy? This is her number after all."

"Right here, Patricia."

"Joy!"

"Hey, everyone. Nina and I met a few hours ago."

"Yeah, it turns out Joy was being held here in this creepy castle, too. Well, it's not that creepy. They renovated it, so the inside's all modern."

Jerome joined the conversation. "Hey, I hate to break up this cozy little chat, but the big question is...where are you, Nina?"

"Umm... I'll let Joy handle this one."

"Guys, the directions here are too complicated. I'll text Patricia them later."

"Are they forcing you to do anything?" Fabian asked.

"No, but I'm not allowed to leave."

"Our meeting backfired on them though. I've shown Nina the secret passage out. It's too risky to use it now though."

Fabian said,"I'm really glad you're both okay." He was about to say more, but Victor was calling from the hall.

"It's time for supper. There better not be any funny business coming from your room, Lewis and Clarke. I expect you all in the dining room immediately."

Joy laughed when his little spiel was over. "Good ole' Victor. I guess it's time for you all to bounce. We'll talk more later."

"See you all. Don't worry about me too much. Sibuna." Nina said.

"Bye, Joy. Later, Nina. Sibuna." the club members replied. They left for the dining room.

.

When Nina had been let out of the SUV, her first thought was, 'Welcome to Hogwarts.' She was staring at an ancient castle. The driver had said, "You'll be staying here now, Ms. Martin." That comment shook her back to reality.

"No! I have school. What about my friends?" He leaned closer and muttered some words into her ear. "Fine," she conceded, "but only because of them." Nina was given a tour of the rooms. She was trying to find her way back to her new bedroom when she bumped into someone. That was how Nina and Joy officially met. They really seemed to hit it off, having a lot in common. Inside, Joy was extremely grateful that Nina turned out to be the Chosen One and not her. She thought her life was going to get back to normal-or at least as close to normal as possible. While the girls were sharing stories, Frederick Mercer was video chatting with the Society. Victor had decided it was time to resort to desperate measures. He placed a call, looking weary, but enlightened when he hung up. The deal had been made.

Joy and Nina were in the kitchen eating supper, when Mr. Mercer came into the room. "Sweetums, could you come into my office? Now?" Joy flashed Nina and apologetic look.

"Oh, alright." She followed her father into the room next door. He shut it and told her to sit down.

"We've been discussing things and have decided that it's best for you to leave the castle. You may stay at Anubis House."

"Sure, I'll get to hang out with Patricia again! Wait, but what about Nina?"

Frederick Mercer sighed. "Certain...things are going to take place here. It's best that you go. Now, go pack. Roger will be waiting by the front door." Joy left her dad's office and went to say bye to Nina. She told her about their conversation. Nina was paler by the end of hearing it.

"They've found another way, haven't they? Another way to tip the scales? Please, you've got to help me!" she cried.

"Look. I can't promise much, but you have my word, Patricia and the others will hear about this."

"Thanks. Will you give this to Fabian for me?" Nina handed Joy a sealed envelope.

"Sure. what's in it?"

Nina sighed. "Just tell him it's the answer to his question from Prom."

"Got it. See ya, Nins."

"Bye, Joy." Nina smiled.

Nina made her way back to her new room while Joy packed her stuff. Joy had questions about what was in Nina's letter, but wasn't about to go snooping through Fabes' stuff. Waving good-bye to the castle left her feeling more confused than ever. Her life, she thought, was very mixed up. Roger pulled up at the school's entrance.

"Farewell, Miss Mercer."

"Bye, Rog." Joy wheeled her luggage to the House of Anubis and rang the doorbell.

"Coming," she heard from within. The lock clicked open and she found herself face-to-face with none other than-

_AN: I also don't own Hogwarts._


	8. Alien!

_Mara: Hi everyone. As school rep, I have to give another speech. Allthepossibilities has been kind enough to allow me to practice speaking in front of others by doing the disclaimer. Here we go._

_Fellow readers, you all probably know this by now, but according to protocol it must be repeated. This author does not own House of Anubis. Thank you for your time._

_How was that?_

_Jerome: Great, as always. Want to go out for lunch?_

_Mara: Sorry, but I have plans with Mick._

_scratchnsniff101: Here is my tribute to you. I thought you had chosen the perfect middle name for Amber (Marie). Just so you all know, scratchnsniff101 is the one who inspired that detail. You should check out her stories._

_Drum roll, please. (From now on, if I want a recap, it will be in bold)_

**The door was opened by none other than** Alfie, who shrieked, "Alien!" Then he slammed the front door and ran back into the dining room, where the others were still eating.

Joy just sat on her luggage. Nice to see you, too, Alfie, she thought. Oh well, someone with more sense will open the door soon.

Alfie was hyperventilating as he sat back down in his chair. "Alfie, what's wrong?"

"Alien...at the door. It's proof. They do exist."

"Well, okay, mate. Mara and I are going to study in her room." Mick and Mara exited. Jerome watched them ascend the stairs, then turned back to Alfie.

"Exactly who is at the door?"

"Alien Joy!"

"Joy's not an alien, you dolt. Wait, did you say Joy?" Alfie nodded his head. Patricia jumped out of her chair, knocking it over onto the floor, and threw open the front door. Her housemates were right on her heels.

"Joy!"

"Patricia!" They threw their arms around each other. Victor came clomping downstairs.

"What is all that racket? Oh, welcome back, Miss Mercer. You shall be bunking with Amber. Now, no more nonsense out of you all." Staring at each of the individuals, Victor proceeded back to his office.

"Okay, I think it's time for another Sibuna meeting. Everyone to Jerome and Alfie's room." Amber took charge. Once they were seated, everyone subconsciously turned to Joy.

Fabian spoke up. "Not that I'm not extremely happy or anything, but why are you back here?"

"Long story short-they kicked me out of the castle. The Society's planning something big. Nina and I think they've found another way."

"Another way to what?"

"To gain eternal life." Everyone looked shocked. "We don't know what it is, but we've got to stop them. Don't freak out; Nina's safe right now."

"I swear, the teachers better not do anything to her, or I'll-"

"Yeah, yeah, Fabesy-wabesy," Jerome cut him off. "We all know to steer clear of hurting Nina, or you'll probably go berserk and send us to the hospital. Can we continue?" Fabian quieted, although his face was a still red. Joy was a bit confused and hurt by this was still crushing on Fabian, but it looked like he cared more for that Nina girl. She shook her head to clear it. It wasn't the time to figure out tangled love lives- that would come after this situation was cleared up.

"I'm going to double my research efforts. Patricia, Amber, and Joy, you should keep an eye on the teachers. Jerome and Alfie, please refrain from pranking us. I think we're good. Sibuna?"

"Sibuna," they all replied.

Alfie shooed them out of his room. "Now that that's over, everybody out. The sci-fi movie marathon begins in two minutes." Fabian and the girls left. As Amber and Patricia were walking past Fabian's room, Joy hung back.

"Listen, I don't know what's going on between you and Nina, but she wanted me to give you this letter. Nina said it's the answer to your question from Prom." Joy pressed the envelope into his hand. "'Night, Fabes. I'm glad I'm back." She gave him a squeeze and walked upstairs.

Fabian sat at his bed, staring at the carefully sealed envelope. What had Nina written inside? There was only one way to find out. He opened it and started reading her letter.

_AN: How do you get inspired to write mysterious/dramatic scenes? I wait until night, then turn off all the lights, leaving only a book light on._


	9. Letters 'n' Clues

_I have no idea how this happened, but apparently the school's cheer squad is scheduled to do the disclaimer. How did that happen?_

_Squad: 2. 4. 6. 8. Wanna know something that's not that great?_

_3. 5. 7. 9. This author doesn't own House of Anubis. Now get on with your lives._

_Me:"Okay." I said, dragging out that short, two-syllable word. "Note to self..." _

**Fabian began to read the letter.** (SLC, you might just owe me a little something. (JK) I'll take a review on this chapter as payment ;) )

* * *

_Fabian,_

_I'm not sure what's going to happen. I want you to know this: Sarah was the one who called me back down to the cellar. She and her parents are now finally able to rest in peace, but the quest isn't over. She made that part clear. In case anything happens to me (JUST IN CASE!), I want you to know the secret. Tell no one, not even Amber. If this falls into the wrong hands... well, you know what it would mean. Please don't try to find it- just remember its location. Then, destroy this letter._

**_Underneath where the pin dropped, but_**

**_Laughter, not fear, resounded in his ears_**

_I trust you, Fabian. You'll keep it safe. Sibuna._

_Until next time,_

**_Nina_**

**_

* * *

_**Fabian couldn't make it out, but there was definitely a word blotted out below the 'Until next time.' He concentrated. There! That was an "L"; wait, or was it a "Y?" He sighed in frustration, and zeroed in on Nina's clue. When had they ever laughed when Victor had dropped his pin? Was there a removable tile in the foyer? Or was he way off track? He turned off the lights when Victor called for lights out. A few minutes later, Mick tiptoed in.

"'Night, mate."

"See you in the morning, Mick."


	10. Does the book hold the answer?

_My schedule's blank today, so I'll be doing the disclaimer for the this and the next chapter._

_I don't own House of Anubis or Star Wars._

_Hannah Banana 1456: No, this isn't the actual plot for season 2. I was just inspired by watching a video mash-up on YouTube which has a clip of Amber and Fabian rushing to a castle where Neinke's being held prisoner. _

All of the children were down at breakfast. Trudy was serving bobble and squeak. Surprisingly, there was no food fight. Then again, Alfie was passed out from watching a Star Wars marathon until three in the morning. _(AN: Have you all noticed the Storm Trooper helmet in his room?) _He was lucky it was Sunday. Unluckily for him, Jerome had drawn a magic marker mustache on him. Eating his apple, Fabian was grabbed by Amber and was shuffled upstairs into her room. Amber sat him down on her bed.

"So-o, Fabian."

"So, Amber."

"Was there a certain question you asked a certain someone at the end of Prom? Did that certain someone take as extremely long amount of time to say yes and put it in a letter? Old-fashioned, but romantic all the same, I must say."

Fabian blushed and wouldn't meet Amber's eyes. "I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, come off it already! We all know you and Nina are great together. Joy told me Nina had her give you an envelope. You have to spill!"

"Amber, hold up. Nina and I-" Fabian paused. "Well, I don't know. Anyway, what was in that letter is strictly between Nina and me. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to visit my uncle." Fabian walked out of her room, signed out, and left the house. Maybe Uncle Ade had received another book on Egyptian mythology.

It turns out his uncle had, so Fabian returned to Anubis House in triumph. The next week passed by in a blur. Life was pretty much back to normal- except for Nina's absence. Every minute not spent in school, Fabian was perusing the book. It was not until he reached the final chapter that Fabian became agitated.

_AN: Sorry it's so short, but you all get two chaps tonight. :)_


	11. Two different phone calls

_I don't own House of Anubis or Harry Potter._

**Fabian received another book on Egyptian mythology from his uncle. **

_Now let's eavesdrop on one of Victor's private calls from about a week ago:_

"Okay, Victor. What you're looking for is simply a gold ankh_. _It should be about as big as your hand. I believe it's somewhere in the house. You should-"

"I shall wait for the children to find it. They always seem to be, as they say nowadays, 'hot on the trail.' How their simple minds managed to find the cup, I shall always wonder."

"Don't call me again until you are in possession of it, or our little... arrangement is off. Do we understand each other?"

"Unfortunately, we do." Victor heard a click; the line went dead. Now it is only a matter of time, he thought to himself.

* * *

Fabian finished the book during lunch. He needed to talk to Nina straight away. He was sent to the Infirmary twice. His teachers thought he might have come down with something- that's how antsy he was. The story kept going through Fabian's head. Anubis felt the tiniest amount of remorse after the Cup was shattered- enough to leave a second way to gain immortality for those able to find it. He blessed (AN: or cursed, it's all a matter of perspective) an ankh inside the tomb. In short, if the ankh and the Chosen One were united, and a certain ceremony was performed...

Fabian had to find out if Nina knew anything about this. Back at the house, he called Nina.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Nina!"

"Fabian!"

"Listen, there's something I need to ask you. Do you know anything about a particular golden ankh?" Nina was silent. He felt like the temperature had suddenly dropped 37.2 degrees Celsius.

"What makes you ask that?" Fabian told her the story. Nina sighed and said, "Under my bed is a box. In that box, take out my copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Then, go ahead and open the book." Nina heard a faint rustling through the phone. Fabian opened the cover and promptly dropped the book in shock. He hadn't expected an answer like this. The book was false. Nina had been in possession of the ankh since- well, he didn't know when. He stumbled to find words.

"Wh-when did you get this?"

"I found it after I came back up from the cellar in the sarcophagus."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I was planning to, but- you know- it was Prom; then, I had to pack my bags for America. It always slipped to the back of my mind whenever I was calling you- or Amber."

"Nina, I-"

"I have to go, Fabian. Someone's coming. Ever since about a week ago, the Society's been acting strangely. The maids are keeping closer eyes on me. Now I know why. They must know about the ankh. Promise me you'll keep it safe, Fabian."

"I promise. Sibuna." He felt her smile even though he couldn't see her.

"Sibuna."

Fabian wasn't sure why, but he wanted to keep the ankh a secret from the others- at least, for now. He felt he was solely responsible for watching over the ankh. After all, Amber was infamous for blurting out information in class; Jerome had been working for Rufus; Alfie shared everything with Jerome. Patricia and Joy told each other everything, and Fabian's brain was muddled whenever he thought about Joy. He slipped the ankh into his backpack and placed it where no one would find it. At least, he thought no one would discover it. Little did he know...

.

_AN: Sorry, I love ending with cliffies._


	12. I want my life back

_*Rufus grabs Nina and holds up the hourglass full of the deadly Red Sutekh Sandflies*_

_Rufus: Say it, or this glass will drop._

_Amber: Why are you doing this?_

_Rufus: It's my turn to be center stage._

_Jerome: If you wanted the limelight all to yourself, why are you holding us hostage on-stage? Doesn't that go against your... dream?_

_*A look of dawning emerges on Rufus' face, and he throws Nina into Fabian, who clutches her*_

_Rufus: Leave, before I change my mind._

_*The kids rush offstage.*_

_Rufus: This author doesn't own House of Anubis._

_Me: Who said you could say the disclaimer?_

_Rufus: Too late, I already said it._

_Me: Sgt. Roebuck!_

_Rufus: Until we meet again._

_*Dashes out the door.*_

_Sorry, I've been taking longer than usual too update; I've been contemplating where I want this story to go._

**Little did Fabian know** that Joy had heard the whole exchange between him and Nina.

She was going to ask Fabes if he wanted to hang out. As she was about to open the door, she faintly heard Nina's voice from within. Joy couldn't help it; she absolutely had to know what was going on between those two. Jealousy was coursing through her veins when she heard Fabian's phone click shut. The way he talked to Nina-his voice so full of caring. He never talked to _her_ that way. The only indication she was his closest friend was the breathy 'Hey, Joy,' he greeted her with. She was gone for-what-a single term, and this American swoops in and catches the eye of the boy she's been crushing on. Life was definitely NOT back to normal.

The problem was Nina and Joy had too much in common. It was like they were American and British alter egos of each other. Nina popped up in a fourth of Patricia's conversations. Whenever Joy had Amber help her pick out outfits to wear to catch the eye of a certain someone, Amber mentioned Nina every other squeal. Some things have got to change around here, she thought.

Nina was the Chosen One. Maybe Victor'll put her under 'castle arrest' if I tell them a certain piece of info. Fabian said the ankh was the key; I'll just have to find it. Her thoughts were interrupted by the doorknob to Fabian's room turning. She hid and watched as Fabian walked out, carefully look around before concealing a gold object, then leave the room. I don't know how many promises Fabes has made you Nina, but I'm going to have to break this one.

A few hours later, she pulled out her phone. "Hi, Dad. There's something you might like to know..."

_AN:Poor Joy. She was just a teenage girl who wanted her normal life back. Unfortunately, she set about getting it the wrong way. (I don't want to hate on any of the characters, so I put those previous three sentences in.)I'm sorry this chap isn't that great. I had a hard time thinking of how the Society should find the ankh. Happy St. Patrick's Day!_


	13. Does Fabian have unlimited minutes?

_Mrs. Andrews: Well, readers, today you get a pop quiz, or rather, a question of the day._

_Me:What is it?_

_Mrs. Andrews: Does this author own House of Anubis?_

_Me: I'll answer for them...(sadly) I don't own HoA...or VB._

* * *

The next night all the kids were chilling in the common room. Alfie glanced at his phone. "Hey, not that I'm complaining or anything, but where's Victor and his dreaded pin?"

Trudy called out from the laundry room, "Oh, he left this morning after you all went to school. He said a friend was ill and requested his presence. Mind you, he was literally skipping and humming out the door."

"Trudykins, are we talking about the same Victor?"

"Yes, can you believe it?"

Jerome's mouth was gaping as he turned to Alfie. "Victor skipping- the same Victor who gives you toilet duty at least twice a week."

"Throws pie at Jerome's face in amazement." Surprisingly, Jerome didn't see that coming. He was too shocked, but for some reason he was holding a bowl of flour.

"Boys! Go clean up at once!" Alfie the ghost and Jerome the clown went to the loo to wash up.

Mick shook his head. "A total waste of one of Trudy's perfect pies," he muttered. "Hey, Maracle, could you help me with the biology assignment?"

"Sure, let's do it in my room." They left. Call it paranoia, but a happy-go-lucky Victor gave Fabian the sudden urge to call Nina.

"Nina?"

"Fabian."

"Listen-"

"Hold on a sec. Something's about to happen- I can feel it." Fabian closed his mouth. A few seconds later a loud echoing knock was heard through the phone.

"Nina Martin." It was Victor.

"Yes?" Nina said the one-syllable word defiantly, but Fabian could her hear shaking.

"I wonder how you will react to seeing this." He held up the gold ankh. Nina couldn't stop herself.

"How'd you get that?"

"Oh, Nina, you can't trust everyone."

"I don't believe you. He never would have given you the ankh!" Victor just chuckled. Fabian shivered. Victor was really out of practice laughing. Then he froze out of shock. Victor had the ankh?

"The important thing is eternal life is once again within our grasp, Chosen One."

"But what about us kids, we'll-"

"Not be harmed. This method doesn't kill all of you. As of now, you are not to leave this room. Meals will be delivered at seven, noon, and, six. If you require something, dial '5'. Farewell for now." The door shut, and Nina heard a key turn in the lock. She put her cell back to her ear.

"You get all that?" There was venom in her voice. Nina was trying to mask the betrayal she felt, but her emotions were winning. "I trusted you. Now _they _have it. I can't believe I trusted you! Have you told him where everything else is too?"

"Nina! I swear-"

"You know what, Fabian? I need some time to think." The line went dead. Fabian was stunned. How had all this happened? Just yesterday he had hidden it in the most secure place he could think of. He was certain no one but him knew where it was. Jerome and Alfie had been stuck in detention. Trudy was sweeping the porch. Victor was at a meeting. Mick was at the football practice field with Mara. He caught Amber in the common room.

"Where were you yesterday afternoon?"

Amber cocked her head. "In the drama room. Joy and I were trying on costumes; Patricia was hanging out with us." She went back to reading the latest VB gossip. Everyone had an alibi. This was going 'round in circles. He sighed and got ready for bed. Over the next few days, he tried calling Nina, but was put straight to voicemail. "Nina, please pick up. We need to talk. Just pick up, please." Fabian had to have left her thirty messages.

Joy was getting annoyed. Nina was out of the picture, so Fabian should've been spending more time with her. Instead all he would do at the house was: pull out his phone, dial a number, leave a message for Nina, hang up, and redial. She was nauseated by this, but had to admire his dedication.

"Hey, Fabes."

"Hi, Joy," he said, without looking away from the phone in his hand. "I'm kinda busy right now."

"You wanna talk?" He didn't reply; the cell was brought back to his ear.

"Nina, please, can you just listen for five minutes?" Fabian hung up and sighed. Joy tried again to start a conversation.

"Wow. She's really upset about that ankh. Isn't she?"

"Yeah- wait a sec, how do you know about the ankh?"

Joy stood up. "Oops. That's my cue. TTYL." She turned and started walking away, but Fabian grabbed her wrist. She tried to free herself, bu Fabes had a tight hold. "Wow. Somebody worked out while I was gone." He blushed, but didn't let her go, and sat her down on his bed. He carefully closed the door.

"Spill. Now."

"About what?"

"You know!"

"Honestly, Fabian, what does it matter? Nina's gone. G-O-N-E. It's time to accept that, just like you accepted that when I disappeared." Joy said the last part quietly, looking away from him. Fabian opened his mouth, but no words came out. Another twist had just been added to his life.

.

_AN: Poor Fabes. He so book-smart, but when it comes to girls..._


	14. The ceremony draws nearer

_Alfie: Welcome to __"Who Wants to be Britain's next B-Boy?"__ First round: Show us your moves. Our first contestant is...VICTOR? ! ?_

_Victor: Don't act so surprised, Lewis. Did you not think I would pass the auditions for "The Quest: Invincible Elixirs"?_

_Alfie: Umm... Victor this is the set for __"Who Wants to be Britain's next B-Boy?". _

_Victor: What are you talking about?_

_*Alfie points to big obvious logo sign right next to Victor*_

_*A look of embarrassment and dawning emerges on Victor's face*_

_Alfie: Well, since you're here..._

_Victor: Not a chance, Lewis._

_*Alfie grins mischievously*_

_Alfie(chanting to crowd who instantly picks it up): Victor. Victor. VICTOR. VICTOR! VICTOR!_

_Victor: Alfonso, you are on toilet duty for a month when we return to Anubis House._

_Alfie: This is worth it._

_Jerome: So readers, the moral of this story is... allthepossibilities doesn't own House of Anubis. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to call the station and get them to do reruns of this episode of __"Who Wants to be Britain's next B-Boy?"__. Ta-ta._

_

* * *

_**The Society has the ankh. Nina and Fabian had a falling out because Victor implied that Fabian revealed its location. Joy let it slip that she knew about the ankh. ****Fabian found out that Joy liked him. **

**Onward to the story:**

Joy was trying to hold back tears. "I thought... with _her_ gone things would go back to normal. I overheard your conversation with Nina. If the Society had the ankh, they'd hold Nina in the castle. I called my dad and told him what I found out. But things haven't gone back to the way they were. Everyone talks about Nina all the time, especially you..." Fabian zoned out after he heard Joy's confession about the ankh.

"So you're telling me _you_ are the one who sold Nina out? I can't believe you! She's stopped talking to me. Nina thinks _I'm_ the one who gave Victor the ankh.

Joy, do you even know what they're going to do to her?"

Joy opened her mouth, but suddenly Fabian's phone was ringing like crazy. He looked at the C.I.D. It was Nina.

_A/N: Now that seems like a good little cliffhanger right there, but Sarah told if I don't have at least 500 words this chap, I'll come face-to-face with the black bird. *chuckles nervously* So here you all go:_

Fabian immediately pressed 'talk'. Nina started speaking in a rushed voice,"Fabian, I know it wasn't you who told them. I'm really, truly, extremely sorry_-"_

Someone else's voice cut in. "Oh, Miss Martin, I see you still have your phone. Give it here." Oh no, Fabian thought, it was Victor.

"No!"

"I don't like to play games. Give it here." Fabian heard a slight scuffle through the phone.

"Give it back!"

"Oh," Victor chuckled,"you won't be needing it. The time is near. The Chosen One has a part to play in a little ceremony that gives us eternal life." Suddenly, the door was thrown open. Nina took a step backward in shock.

It couldn't be, but it definitely was-


	15. Who's paying for the cab?

_Jerome: This author doesn't own House of Anubis or cab companies or nose games or "prank kings." There. Now, auth, why can't your disclaimers always be like this-short, sweet, and to the point? I doubt many of your readers even read this-not to bring you down or anything._

_Me(sarcastically): Thanks for that, Jerome._

_Me: I write these because I need a laugh, and maybe someone out there gets a smile from these. Just for that rude remark, I'm considering not putting in Marome in this story._

_Jerome: Wait! What? You were going to put me with Mara in this story?_

_Me: Well, we'll never know now, will we, Jerome?_

_Jerome: Aw, auth! Come on-don't be like this._

_Me: I'm tired of your manipulative, mean mind. If you have any complaints: pretend your pillow is me, paint my face on it, bring it to school with you, and tell it all your troubles in the halls._

_Jerome: Ha-ha. Very funny, allthepossibilities. Wait, you're trying to get me sent to Esther's office and for her to think I'm loopy, aren't you? Are you planning on ruining all my conquests?_

_Me(lightly): Toodle-loo._

_*author walks away with Jerome trailing after*_

_Dragonclaw11: I know this is a cliché, but it needed to be done._

_P.S. Character's thoughts will now be in italics (besides the other stuff already in italics)._

**Fabian and Nina are back on good terms. Victor confiscated Nina's phone but forgot (or just doesn't know how) to turn it off, so Fabian's able to hear their conversation. An unannounced person flung open the door and unfortunately it was** Rufus.

"Miss me?" he called out as he strode in. "Just dropped by to say hello."

Fabian's brain was on overdrive. _Rufus and Victor? Working together? This couldn't be good. _(And the award for biggest understatement of this story goes to... Fabian Rutter)

"You are very clever, Nina, or rather, your boyfriend is. I only found out some weeks ago about the fake elixir. Luckily, I had some of the real one on hand."

Nina still couldn't grasp the fact about Rufus an Victor working together.(She ignored the "boyfriend" comment.) "Why are you two working _together_? Aren't you nemeses? You blackmailed each other."

Rufus stared nonchalantly at his fingernails. "Oh, don't act all surprised, Chosen One. We used to be in the Society together, after all. We just had different visions, but now both of us are out of the elixir because 'genius' here"-he pointedly glared at Victor-"never figured out his late daddy's recipe. After a long internal debate, I decided to unite with the Society once again. You see, we are very old, very _desperate_ men (and women)." He cackled. "And now with the Chosen One and ankh, only one more day stands between us and immortality. Nighty-night, Chosen One."

Victor and Rufus left. Fabian heard Victor mutter, "Blasted cell phones. Technology's changed a lot over ninety short years. Ah, here's the 'off' button." The line went dead, but not before a loud _thump_ from Nina's room was heard.

Fabian turned to Joy."We need to get to the castle. NOW! Get Sibuna together, Joy. They need to know what's going on." Four minutes later, Sibuna, plus Joy, was gathered in Fabian's room. Sixteen minutes later, the whole story was out. Everyone started talking in small groups. Then everyone-minus Fabian (he was distracted)- started ganging up on Joy. Patricia was especially shocked by her behavior. Finally, someone blew a whistle.

"Guys, we'll deal with Joy later. Right now-no matter how scary it will be- we need to go save my BAF!"

"Yeah!"

The gang was all pumped and ready to go, but then realized they'd need to call a cab. "Hold on, who's paying?" Jerome asked.

"Nose Game!" Alfie called. Immediately, four of the six followed suit and put their fingers on their nose. (_on_, not _in_, people. IN is Victor's date with his electric nose hair clipper)

The loser sighed. "Fine, as long as you all take care of my chore duty this week." They agreed. The cab company was called, but they only had one car left. They took it- it was vital they get to Nina quickly. "Okay, so who's not going?" Well, Fabian-of course- was going they all could agree on that.

Just then, Trudy marched down the stairs. "Jerome! Alfie!" she yelled angrily. Jerome and Alfie shared a look, then acknowledged Trudy. "What's this I hear about you two doing, or rather SEE?" She held up an incriminating photograph. "Both of you are coming with me, now!"

"Okay, we're out," Jerome muttered. He looked kind of relieved. He still wasn't used to the whole solve-the-mystery-and-protect-the-secret-and-each-other-no-matter-what situation. Alfie just looked bummed he wouldn't be spending time with the ever-lovely Amber. Thoughts of putting his arm around Amber and she cozying up to him because she was scared were running through his head. He shook it to clear it. Sibuna, plus Joy, was facing the unknown and Alfie would just have to deflatedly ask the others what went down. Unfortunately for him, his love-life and pranks knew nothing but unhappy endings...for now.(*wink*) Two of the six were out. When Trudy and the "prank kings" were long gone the others piled into the cab. The girls stuffed themselves into the back: Amber on the left, Joy in the middle, Patricia on the right. Fabian got shotgun.

"Alright, young sir and young misses, where would 'e like to go?"

"Joy-"

Joy gave the man the location and some of the directions.

"Okay, young 'uns, off we go."

_A/N: There. No major cliff for you all. I sincerely hope you're happy._


	16. Patricia raves about drama

_Me: I'm feeling a bit fatigued, so there's just going to be a standard disclaimer today by Joy._

_Joy: allthepossibilities doesn't own House of Anubis or iPods or Twilight&co._

Warning: The following chapter may quite possibly have a lot of drama (or a least a dramatic lil speech).

**Fabian, Patricia, Amber, and Joy are on their way to the castle in a cab.**

Patricia noticed Fabian put his ear-buds in, then texted Amber: **_Think it's time 2 ? Joy_**

Amber replied:_**Yeah! Y wud she do this 2 my BAF ? ! ?**_

They both turned to Joy. "Hey, Joy. It alright if we ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Why would you do that to Nina? What do you have against her? Nina's really sweet."

Joy leaned back in her seat and looked toward the roof. "Do we really have to talk about this?"

"We wanna know. What you did was really horrible."

"Fabes likes her more than me," Joy stated simply. "It's like I don't exist anymore. Nina's mentioned in half your conversations. I thought...with _her_ gone...things would go back to the way they were."

Patricia threw her hands in the air. _Joy let Nina stay locked in the castle with the the Society just to spend some more time with Fabian? ! Talk about drama!_ (A Goth pixie was only able to stand so much.) "What is with all the drama in our House? First, we have the Fabian-and-Joy-_might_-become-more-than-friends-thing, later Joy's-disappearance-at-the-same-time-Nina-the-American-enters-the-picture, then the Amber/Mick/Mara love triangle, next the-whole-house-teasing-and-trying-to-set-Nina-and-Fabian-up-because-we-all-know-they-not-so-secretly-like-each-other, after that a growing Mick/Mara/Jerome love triangle, Nina's-mysterious-kidnapping-and-Joy's-return, plus the occasional plots-for-revenge-on-Jerome-and-Alfie-for-their-twisted-pranks, and now we have a very jealous Joy/Fabian/Nina love triangle. Is Anubis House like cursed or something?" Patricia and Joy were still besties, but right now it seemed they were going to stand on different sides of the line.

"Wow, Patricia, that was very... dramatic. I mean seriously-it was drama-queen level!" Amber remarked. That comment left her on the receiving end of one of Patricia's death glares.

"Joy, no offense or anything, but Fabian and Nina are really into each other right now. Maybe it's time to move on," Amber gently said.

"But why? Why _her_? She's only been here two minutes!" Joy furiously whispered.

"Look, we can't answer for Fabian- you'll have to ask him yourself."

Joy turned toward Patricia. "I thought you were _my_ best friend. You knew I like(d) Fabes. Why are you suddenly telling me to back off?"

Patricia took a few minutes to come up with an answer that would get through to Joy. She really wasn't used to this stuff. "...It's like Twilight. Jacob and Bella get together, even though Edward loves her."

"Umm... Patricia. You seriously need to read the books or come with me to see the movies. It's Edward and Bella who get together. Jacob does love her, but they don't become a couple. What you just said was terribly wrong and if someone published a story about us, you would literally have thousands of screaming girls in Twilight t-shirts hunting you down (well, maybe not the Team Jacob fans). That comment made absolutely no sense. Anyway, I'll move on _only _when I see that he _really_ likes Nina with my own eyes."

_Well, it's something. _Patricia and Amber inwardly shrugged. Now, the girls assumed their conversation was private-the cabbie was on his cell, saying goodnight to his wife, and they saw Fabian with his ear-buds in and assumed that he was listening to his iPod. Unfortunately for them (and Fabian), his battery was dead. He just kept the buds in his ears because he could still hear the music in his head. (_You all know how musicians are... they hear music everywhere, even when it's super quiet. You'll always find them tapping a beat with their feet or pencil...)_ He couldn't help listening in-his name was mentioned (whisper-yelled) quite a few times, and he wanted hear what they were saying about him behind his back...literally.(...he-he...not that funny) What the girls said made him feel a bit uncomfortable. His face was on fire, and fate had the cabdriver choose to hang up at just that moment and glance at his passengers.

"Y'all right there, son? You seem a bit red in the face."

"Yeah, just a bit warm," Fabian managed to get out.

"Right-o. Don't want you getting sick on me." He chuckled and focused back on the road.

_Why me? Fabian thought. How did I get into such a mess? I really don't feel comfortable in this sort of situation. _His mind switched gears.

_I hope Nina's fine. Mysteries seem to be attracted to her. It's been so long since I've seen her. I really do have to get up the nerve to ask her out soon- Joy might tell her something. I wonder if..._ Fabian let his mind wander.

Fifteen minutes later, the cabbie whistled. "Okay, folks, here we are."

"Thanks, sir."

"No trouble at all." The loser of the Nose Game dug into their wallet for some cash to pay the driver. Then, Fabian tipped him. "Thank 'ee kindly."-he tipped his hat to them-"Now, you don't need me to wait for you, do you?"

Patricia spoke up, "No thanks."

"All right then. Good-bye." They answered his parting wave and watched him drive back on the road.

Then the three Sibuna members, plus Joy, began the short trek to the hidden entrance.

.

_A/N: A big thank you to everyone who reviews my story(-ies). Your positive comments make my day :)_


	17. Conversations in the castle courtyard

_Mara: Yodel eh- yodel eh- yodel eh hee hoo!_

_Alfie(from inside her closet): And that's a wrap. Take five._

_*Mara immediately claps her hands over her mouth*_

_Alfie: Oh come on, Mara. Don't be shy. Everyone heard you._

_*Alfie walks over to her bedroom door and opens it to reveal Mick, Patricia, Jerome, Amber, Nina, and Fabian*_

_Mara(angrily): How long have you all been listening?_

_Mick:Oh, ten to fifteen minutes._

_Mara: You guys are...are...UGHH! I'm leaving._

_*she exits through the other door*_

_Alfie (still recording): And so goes the yodeler of this house. Hidden talents lie within all of us. Who will the camera discover next? Oh, and BTW allthepossibilities does NOT- I repeat, NOT- own House of Anubis._

* * *

They made it through the outer wall no problem and were walking through the courtyard. Fabian decided, uncomfortable or not, he had to confront Joy about how they felt towards each other. It shouldn't take that long, and he really needed to get it off his chest before he saw Nina again. Fabian asked Patricia and Amber for some privacy and led Joy to a partially moonlit bench in between two evergreens. He took a deep breath and began to speak. "Joy, there's something I need to tell you."

Joy thought this was_ it_- the moment she'd been waiting for. After all, wasn't this what all the guys said in the movies before they confessed to the girl how much they liked her? Instead of making her feel like flying, Fabian's words broke her heart and hardened it. Fabian really liked Nina. He stumbled over some of his words, but there was no denying the caring in his voice, the light in his eyes whenever he mentioned Nina. _It should have been me Fabes' talked about like that,_ she thought, but he was so happy, and did she really want to ruin that for him? She considered herself his best friend. _Didn't best friends want each other to be happy? I want him to be happy,_ Joy realized. She wasn't going to go and destroy Nina because of this. Joy let her heart soften back to normal. Looking back at her past actions, she realized that she had in fact become a green-eyed (as in jealous) monster. That wasn't what she wanted to be. Joy gave herself an attitude check._ I know it's time to move on; I'm going to help Nina as best as I can and try to patch things up with my friends. _She met Fabian's eyes. "Yeah, Fabes, I get it and I'm happy for you two."

Fabian was relieved. He thought he had lost Joy for a moment there. "You'll always be one of my best friends, Joy. You're a spectacular, one-of-a-kind girl- don't forget that." He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek to reaffirm their friendship. Unfortunately, the green-eyed monster inside Joy returned for another moment despite her resolve to banish it. It turned her head, so Fabian ended up kissing her on the lips instead. The monster justified itself by thinking, _I had to know how that felt, just once. _Then it retreated back into its cage in Joy's mind.

* * *

Amber and Patricia were examining the castle wall. Amber spotted an open window with a light shining and focused in on that. She could make out a person leaning on the sill. Amber inwardly squealed- it was Nina! Nina had a neutral expression on her face, but for some reason it turned into a look of shock and hurt. By the moon's light, Amber saw a few tears spill down her cheeks. Nina backed into the room and suddenly the lights went out. _What happened? _she thought.

Patricia had actually only glanced at the gray stone wall for a few seconds; she found the exchange between Joy and Fabian much more interesting to watch. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but guessed what was going on by the expressions on their faces. Fabian was gently letting Joy down. Then Fabian-ever the gentleman-leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, but at the last second Joy turned so it was on the lips. Luckily, it didn't last long. Patricia shook her head; _Joy had changed_. Her thoughts were interrupted by Amber pulling on her arm.

"I just saw Nina staring out a window!" she whispered excitedly."But then she disappeared. She looked upset. I wonder why. Are Joy and Fabian done yet? I really want to hug my BAF again!"

Patricia got a feeling in her gut that more drama was on its way. On a hunch she said, "Amber, which way was Nina looking?"

"I'm not totally sure, but it could have been"-she turned, scoping out the courtyard-"right where Fabian and Joy are?"

"And you said she seemed upset?"

"Yeah, her face was full of shock and hurt."

"And the drama returns. Why does fate always have Nina look at the wrong place at the wrong time?" Patricia muttered.

Amber asked," What did you just say?"

"Nothing, but we better go talk to Joy and Fabian. I don't care if I'm interrupting or not." Patricia grabbed Amber by the arm and marched over there. "You two done yet?"

Fabian replied,"Yeah, we were just about to-" Patricia held up a hand to cut him off.

"Good 'cause we just saw Nina."

Fabian's face lit up. "Where?"

"Hold your horses, Romeo. I need to have a little chat with you and maybe Joy, too."

He sighed. "Just make it quick."

"You sure?"

He gave her an exasperated look. "Come on already."

"Alright."_ Short and sweet was probably best. _Patricia cupped her hands over Fabian's ear and whispered, "Nina saw you kiss Joy."

.

_A/N: What will Fabian's reaction be? Will Amber or Patricia imply some death threats and "Oh no, you didn't, Romeo"s? Is somebody going to get hurt? When will they finally enter the castle? Find out... next update._


	18. The Time for a Talk is Coming

_Mrs. Andrews(to class): Today we will be having a pop quiz._

_Alfie:*sees Mrs. Andrews turn serpent-like* Alien teacher!*runs up and tackles her*_

_Mrs. Andrews: Mr. Lewis! What has gotten into you? Get up off me at once!_

_Alfie: No, alien scum. Now tell me, does this author own House of Anubis or any references to other books/shows/movies/singers/electronic devices?_

_Mrs. Andrews: No. Now, get off or I'll call Ms. Vanderlyden. _

_Teacher's pet(not Mara): Yeah, I'll run and get her, Mrs. Andrews. She's been wanting to practice skills four and nine on someone.*dashes out the door*_

_Alfie(finally coming to his senses):No! Not the Vandy!*gets off teacher* I'd rather be on Toilet Duty for a week!_

_*Classroom door opens*_

_Ms. Vanderlyden: I'm afraid it's too late for that Mr. Lewis..._

* * *

**Patricia announced that Nina saw Fabian kiss Joy.**

"Wh-wh-what? How?" was Fabian's intelligent reply, along with his 'Look! I'm-Bob-the-tomato' face._(A/N: Yes. They DO have Veggie Tales in the UK-look it up if you won't take my word for it)_

"And by the looks of it, she thinks you two are a couple." All Fabian could do was gape.

Joy broke in,"Well, we're not. We're just friends. You know what, I'll go talk to her- I want to apologize for the what I did to her, and I'm sorry for how I've been acting to you guys. I've been a real jerk.

My room should be empty-you can chill there while I find Nina." They snuck through the halls. They met with no one. Strangely some of the walls were bare. When Patricia commented on that, Joy just shrugged and said the Society sold what they could for extra funds. "You know, the Society knows absolutely nothing about decorating bedrooms. My dad let me pick out whatever I wanted from some catalogs and he bought it all. I think it was his sorry-for-pulling-you-out-of-school-and-turning-you-life-upside-down present. Oh well, a sweet room's a sweet room." And indeed it was.

Joy had a TV set, complete with four shelves of dvd's; a mini fridge; a shelf of books; posters everywhere of Twilight; a Twilight bedspread; some comfy chairs and couches; a ginormous closet-the list went on and on. Amber and Patricia just stood there with their mouths hanging open, soaking it all in. Even though this was a teenage girl's paradise, Fabian was still stunned.

"Okay, well, I'll be back in a bit. Go ahead and pop in a dvd-just keep the volume down." Before Joy opened the door, Amber walked up to her and pressed something in her hand. "What's this for?" she asked.

"You may need it," was Amber's cryptic reply.

"Okay, then," Joy said and left.

When the door had shut, Patricia turned to Amber. "So what flick do you wanna watch?"

"Twilight?"

"No. Harry Potter?"

"Maybe. Which one?"

"Number six?"

"No. Too much zombies. Number one?"

"A classic, but I want to watch one where he's a bit older. Number-"

"Don't I get a say in this?" Fabian interrupted.

Patricia faced him. "Look, Joy's going to talk to Nina and patch things up between _them_. On the other hand, _you_ were the one who leaned in to kiss Joy." She turned back to the shelves.

Fabian was slightly confused. "What are you getting at?"

Amber cried, "Gosh, Fabian! Don't you get it? You need to talk to Nina. Nina and Joy'll most likely make-up, but you have some serious explaining to do. Nina will probably still be upset at you because _you_ were the one who kissed Joy, not the other way around. She thought you might like her, and now because of that kiss she'll try to distance herself from you. If you want to keep her as a friend, or more, then GO!" Amber made the shooing motion at him.

Fabian understood now, but he couldn't leave. "I have no idea where Nina's room is and Joy's long gone by now." He double-checked. Yep, the hall was empty.

Patricia ordered,"Well, as soon as she gets back, Joy is going to march you down to Nina's room." She called out," Number four, Amber?"

"Yes! I love their outfits at the Yule Ball." Patricia put it in the player.

Fabian sat down in a plush green chair and started thinking of what he would say to Nina when he saw her again.

* * *

Nina was staring out her window-like she did every night- at the stars, but tonight something drew her eyes down to the courtyard. She zoned in on...Fabian? "No way," she mumbled to herself. She rubbed her eyes, but he was still there. "Okay, I've finally lost it." She focused on another shape. And was that...Joy? Then she saw their lips move some and Fabian lean in and kiss her. She was shocked. _Why would they be _here_ of all places? __They should be back at Anubis House. _ And kissing_? Well, I already knew he and Joy had something, she reminded herself, remembering the video chat. I mean, I thought...prom...and...he liked me, like maybe more than friends. I guess I was wrong and that kiss was just in the heat of the moment._ Nina was hurt. A few tears fell down her face.

_If-no, _when_ I get out of here and see him again, I'll back off, let him spend more time with Joy. I can always go dress shopping with Amber_-she shuddered a little. _He's my best friend; I'll do my own thing and let him be happy with his girlfriend._ "I think it's time for bed," she said. She backed into her room, shut the window, and turned off her lights on the way to the bathroom. As she was brushing her teeth, she looked at her reflection and said, "Things change and I just have to get used to that fact." She chuckled as another thought entered her head and spoke,"You know what else? Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness."

Some minutes later she settled down underneath her covers. Nina set up her iPod, starting with Taylor Swift. 'Good night, my shining star' she imagined her gran saying to her. "Good night, Gran. I love you," Nina whispered. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the music. Her ear-buds blocked any outside sound, so she didn't hear the lock being picked, her door softly open and shut. Because her eyes were shut, she didn't notice the silhouette right over her bed.

"Nina...Nina..._Ni_na..."


	19. We cool?

_Jerome: This author doesn't own House of Anubis. If allthepossibilities did, well, let's just say I'd blackmail this auth to change some things about the show..._

_Alfie: allthepossibilities also doesn't own Twilight._

* * *

Nina didn't seem to hear her, so Joy gently shook her. She immediately sat up. "Joy?"

"Hey, Nina." Joy flashed her a small smile. "Long time no see."

"Shouldn't you be back at Anubis?"

"My TV here's way cooler. I wanted to have a Twilight marathon."

"That's nice." Nina didn't want to talk about Twilight; she wanted to talk about Fabian, but she also didn't.

Joy sensed Nina was as comfortable with this chitchat as she was. Might as well bring it up, she thought. She sat down at the foot of Nina's bed. "Look, we need to talk. About Fabes."

Nina looked away. "Congratulations. I'm happy for the two of you," she flatly stated.

"No, Nina, we're not-"

"I get it, okay? I'm not jealous. I knew you and he had something. I'm really happy you two are dating." Nina managed a weak smile.

"That's just the thing: we HAD something; we're NOT dating."

Nina was confused. "But I saw you two kiss in the courtyard."

"Fabian was just reaffirming our friendship. He meant to kiss me on the cheek, but I turned my head. I used to have a thing for Fabian, but it's gone now. I just want to be friends, same as him. He's head over sneakers for you. Have you heard the way he talks about you? His face always lights up. I think you two are meant to be."

"That's really nice of you, but I don't. He chose you. He's the one who leaned in first."

"Nina-"

"Could we just drop it, please?" Nina was trying to hide how she felt.

"Fine, and look, I'm really sorry about landing you here. I was just really upset and jealous, y'know?"

"Yeah, I understand. It's hard to cope when your life's turned upside-down. I forgive you."

"For everything? We're cool?"

Nina smiled. "Of course. Friends have fights, but in the end they make up." She hugged Joy.

"Nina, I haven't known you that long, I can already tell you're an amazingly good person, one of the best friends anyone could ever have."

Nina blushed. "Thanks, Joy. That's really sweet of you. Hey, how did you manage to get in here? The door was locked."

Joy laughed. "I wouldn't have, except right before I left my room Amber gave me a bobby pin."

"Amber?"

"Yeah, she, Patricia, and well, Fabian are chilling in my room. You wanna come?"

Nina looked down at her pajamas. "Well, I'd have to change first. How about you bring them here instead?"

"Sure thing." Joy gave Nina a squeeze and left. Nina quickly changed.

"'Kay, guys, ready to see Nina?" Joy called as she gently shut the door to her room.

"Yeah!" Amber quietly squealed. "But wait, Fabian needs to talk to her alone first. You know why."

"Okay, coming, Fabes?"

"Yeah." The plush green chair was empty once again. "Let's go."

They left and made it to Nina's hallway with no incident. As they drew nearer her door, they noticed it was open. "That's weird," Joy muttered. "Come on Fabian." They entered her room. Fabian's eyes scanned the room, but there was no sign of the beautiful, genius, sweet American girl he had come to really like. "Nina?" Joy called, but there was no answer. A look of understanding dawned on her face.

"Oh no," she whispered.


	20. Thoughts for Nina

_Joy:FYI, this author doesn't own House of Anubis._

* * *

"Let me go!" she tried to yell, but the gag was too tight.

"Shh. It's time, Chosen One." Mrs. Andrews and Nurse Delia were forcing Nina to the preparation chamber.

* * *

"They've taken her," Joy stated. "They've started the ritual already. We have to stop them. Come on. Come on!" She dragged Fabian back to her room and told Patricia and Amber what was going on. "... and if they succeed... the Society will gain immortality and Nina..."-her eyes began to blink rapidly-"well, we won't let them."

"I say we split into teams of two," Patricia suggested. "I'll go with Joy, Amber with Fabian." They nodded. "We'll search this place and everyone will have their phone on. Call if you find anything. 'Kay? Let's roll."

The four teens set off, each hoping fervently that they wouldn't be too late and Nina would be found safe. Thought began running through each of their heads about what they wanted to say to her.

_Joy: I'm so glad we're square. I wish I hadn't been so mean to you. Deny it if you want to, but Fabian reall does care a great deal about you. You can't disappear- we won't let that happen. This whole business with the Society is whack. I wish they were gone. I wish my dad was just a normal dad._

_Amber: The last thing I said to you was: "Later, Nina." Wait, you're not going to die. Nina, after we get back to the house, I'm going to take you shopping or wherever you want in town. You're my BAF. I'm going to make next weekend something you'll want to tell your kids._

_Patricia: Nina, you're going to be fine. Sibuna's on their way. I refuse to let my fears take over. We'll probably find you locked in a closet or something. Don't worry- Amber and I brought bobby pins._

_Fabian: Nina, I'm sorry... for everything. Nothing's going to happen to you- I won't let them. If- no, WHEN we get back to Anubis I'm going to ask you something...something I should've asked you back after prom._

The teams searched as quickly and thoroughly as they could, but no clues as to Nina's whereabouts were emerging. Meanwhile, Nurse Delia and Mrs. Andrews had finished putting the ceremonial robe on Nina. They led her into a large open room and chained her hands to a pillar in the middle.

"Let the ceremony proceed."


	21. What's behind the door?

_Jerome: This house is chock full of drama, isn't it? Although, allthepossibilities finds the drama unfolding at the castle much more interesting than what Trudy forced Alfie and moi to do._

_Me: Yeah, no one cares, Jerome. We all love Nina._

_Alfie: Come on, auth! Can't you just put at least one teensy-weensy little sentence about what's going on back at the house, please?_

_Me: Well, since you asked so politely... Jerome and Alfie had to scrub the floor until it shined. After an hour-and-a-half, Trudy finally let them go to bed. They watched Star Wars instead, trying to not think of what was going on with Nina. Oh, and you may/may not be wondering about Mick and Mara. Mara was reviewing her biology textbook in her room, and Mick was napping. Oh, and I don't own House of Anubis. To the story!_

* * *

_We're running out of time! We're running out of time! _Fabian's brain was about to go into panic mode. Amber was twisting her hair. _Nina, where are you? Please send us a sign._ As it happened, Fabian and Amber were not the ones who received a sign, but Joy and Patricia.

"Yo dee an nan na naa, yo dee an nan ron nay...Yo dee an..."

"What was that?" Patricia whispered.

"We found them," was Joy's reply. She texted Fabian: _Where r u?_

He responded: _Walking. Passing by kitchen._

Joy sent:_Stay there. FOUND THEM. Coming 2 get u._

Fabian replied: _k_

Joy turned to Patricia. "Let's just figure out which door to go through. Then, I'll go get Fabian and Amber." They crept forward until Patricia and Joy could tell the chanting was coming from behind a wooden door with an Anubis mask on it. "Patricia, are you okay with staying here while I go get them?

"Yeah, it's fine." She walked over to a broom cupboard. "It's not a five-star hotel lobby, but I'll wait in here."

"Okay, see you in a bit."

Patricia held up a hand in reply, and Joy left. She made it to the kitchen with no incident. Fabian immediately stopped pacing and asked,"Is Nina all right? Where is she?"

Joy said,"Hang on, Fabes. We're going to save her right now. Follow me." She texted Patricia they were on their way once they were in the halls.

Patricia texted back:_ K. U kno, their chant sounds like 'ur doing an error.' Hope that's tru._

Joy thought to herself, I wish that's true, too. They met no one or no thing on their way back to the wooden door. Joy whispered into the broom closet,"Patricia, are you there?" The door opened in reply.

"'Kay, people. It's quiet time. We'll scope them out, then form a plan. Rock 'n' roll."

They silently opened the door and all of them stepped back in shock of what they saw. Well, Amber wanted to do more. She wanted to slam the door shut, cover her ears and close her eyes, and shout,"LIES! Get this nightmare out of my head!" Of course, Amber knew better than to scream and kept her thoughts to herself.

Joy was thinking, Dad's a part of _this_? ! Oh, Nina!

Fabian let himself be shocked for a split second, then immediately tried to come up with a solution to this mess of a problem.


	22. A Golden Rainbow

_Amber: allthepossibilities has finally returned to the land of fanfiction. It's a miracle!_

_Me(holding hands up in a surrender gesture): Sorry, okay, I had matters to attend to. (Wow, that sounded so lawyer-like) I'm also sorry about this chap being short, but I needed to revise and edit because someone-you know who you are- ga__ve me a death threat if I killed off Nina. Let me set the record straight. I _was_ going to have that scene where they all think Nina's dead, Fabian confesses his feelings to Nina, and they kiss. Now, I had to x-out some pages in my journal, so now I'm just typing straight from my mind, so if I take awhile to post that's why. I'm coming up with a whole new ending, so I don't know how this story's going to end anymore (except happily). That will be another factor in how fast I post. Okay, enough rambling, TO THE STORY!_

_Why do they have Nina's hands chained above her to a column? What century is this? _Amber was nearly weirded out. Patricia took in the scene: eight creepy, robed adults chanting in a circle about ten meters away from Nina, three being Rufus, Victor, and Mr. Mercer; Nina trapped to a pillar in the center of the room; funky streams of light, barely visible, but similar to a gold rainbow. We can handle this, she thought.

Joy noticed it first. "It's a scale," she whispered to the others and pointed. "See, Nina's in one circle and the Society formed another." She took a closer look at Nina. "Oh no! Nina's looking paler by the second."

Fabian studied the eight golden streams of light seeming to come from Nina. Each was connected to an adult. It seemed like something was flowing into them, and he realized, with growing horror, something was. It made no sense, but he knew it to be true. That light...that light was Nina's life energy. Nina looked barely able to stay on her feet; Fabian didn't know how much longer she could stand, and he didn't plan on finding out.

"Amber, can I see one of your bobby pins?"

She pulled one out of her hair and dropped it onto his open hand. "Yeah, sure, but what are you planning to do?"

Fabian didn't answer; he turned to Patricia, "Come with me." He waited until the Society focused their attention on a statue of Anubis holding the ankh on the opposite side of the room from Nina. Then he hurriedly and stealthily stole across the room to the girl he had so much to tell, Patricia in his wake. He furiously worked to pick the lock on her cuffs. After what seemed like an eternity the shackles fell away from Nina's wrists. Patricia immediately threw Nina's arm over her shoulder and dragged her out of the circle back toward Joy and Amber. Fabian was about to leave the circle, when he got distracted by the streams of light. With relief, he watched them reverse their flow back into Nina. She immediately recovered. He tried to leave to go join them, but found he could not leave the circle. It was as if an invisible barrier had sprung up. The three girls looked over at him, their faces matching expressions of terror. They all started to run toward him. Meanwhile, Fabian was starting to feel a bit light-headed.

When the girls were halfway there, the lights (torches around the room) flared up. There was a slight tremor and an unearthly voice began to speak. If earthquakes could talk, that's what Anubis sounded like. Yes, the statue's eyes shone red, and his mouth was moving. "He is not the Chosen One. You knew what you had to do. One must be in that circle at all times. Those were the terms. He is not the One. The ceremony has been disrupted." The younger members of the Society exchanged looks of confusion. Victor hadn't mentioned any of this happening. Victor and Rufus faced the pillar. They saw the boy laying on the ground, nearly as pale as the moon. The girls reached Fabian and knelt down by him. Rufus sprinted toward them, Victor close behind.

Rufus looked on the edge of insanity; although, he had already said he was. He opened his mouth and started screaming, "No! This wasn't supposed to happen! He's not supposed to be here! He's not the One! He's not supposed to die! He's m- He's-"


	23. Which way will the scale tip?

_A/N: Howdy, y'all! Read, I'm not too comfortable with this chapter, but I thought you deserved an update. I feel more comfortable writing a first draft in my notebook for this story, but since I changed the ending, I'm typing out a first draft. So, here we go:_

_Fabian: Allthepossibilities doesn't own HOA or Edward. Author, thank you for keeping Nina safe. That was my wish._

_Me: You sound like you're on your deathbed, Fabian._

_Fabian:*gives me a look*_

_Me: Oh...right..._

Rufus fell to his knees next to Fabian. "He's me! I'm not supposed to die! I want to go back to my room, play hide and seek with Sarah!" Rufus turned to Nina, but it was as if he was having a flashback. His eyes were focused on something only he could see. Rufus reached into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper.

___Okay, we knew Rufus was psycho insane, but mental? What's he talking about: him being Fabian? Is Fabian going to_ be all right? Nina was confused. She noticed the piece of paper Rufus clutched tightly and pried it from his grasp. She gasped, and Patricia, Amber, and Joy came over to look. The paper was a picture of a young Sarah and a young...Fabian? No, upon closer inspection, Nina noticed a few differences. Thank goodness. She flipped it over. Handwritten on the back was: _Rufus and Sarah, 1925. _The resemblance between Fabian and Rufus was uncanny. They could have been brothers, but they weren't related. Were they? The only member of Fabian's family Nina knew was his Uncle Ade. _Okay, I'm blowing this way out of proportion here. Rufus is our deranged enemy, no relation to anyone of us. I'm letting my fear take over my mind. I need to push it back. _Nina refocused on Fabian. He was having trouble breathing. She could literally fell him fading. He wasn't the Chosen One- the circle was meant for the conduit. All he had was his own life, his own life he risked to save _her_. There had to be something she could do, there just _had_ to be. This was Anubis' territory; she turned to his statue. "Do something!" she screamed. "Save him!"

"I cannot interfere with fate, Chosen One." Nina was concentrating on holding back her tears that she nearly missed the next sentence. "_You_ on the other hand CAN; _you_ can save the boy's life. _You_ have the power."

"What? What power? Help me!" Nina cried.

"Give the chick a straight answer, will ya?" Patricia demanded.

Joy knelt next to Fabian; his skin was nearly as pale as Edward's. "You'll be fine, Fabes. I know it," she whispered.

"Use your gift. Put the eye over his heart. The eight have repented. Say the chant. That is how it must be." Nina nodded.

"Fabian, hold on just a bit longer, please." She gave him a quick peck on the lips. Fabian opened his bright blue eyes.

"Nina-" he panted.

"Shh...I've got this." Nina removed the Eye of Horus from around her neck and placed around Fabian's. Joy watched as she looked at the wall.

Victor watched the scene taking place before him, in shock that he had failed once again. The boy was not supposed to die; he was not going to continue this. It was over. There were no more _next times_. There was nothing he could do for the boy. It was time for rest. He left the chamber, slowly making his way down the halls to his bedroom, where he could finally rest.

Nina saw writing on the wall. "ويتم كسر دائرة بأكملها. عكس تدفق من القديم إلى الشباب. تحقيق التوازن بين المقاييس. مرة أخرى ، دعونا عهد النظام والطبيعة تأخذ مجراها."She knew it was the chant. She took a deep breath and began to speak, her hands clutching Fabian's. "The broken circle shall be made whole. Reverse the flow from old to young. Balance the scales. Once more, let order reign and nature take its course."

"C'mon...c'mon...c'mon..." Joy muttered. Time stood still. The Eye started to glow red. Something was happening. It was choosing to protect something, the question was who...or what? Pure-hearted boy or a conniving old man's scheme? What ending would fate allow?


	24. Peace, Love, and Happiness

Out of nowhere Rufus grabbed Nina's wrist. "Sarah...Sarah, look at me." Nina decided it was best to do as he said especially since he was clearly still deranged. "I'm sorry...for everything. Sarah, make sure this never happens again."

"You have my word," Nina gravely replied.

"Thank you, Sarah. Now...it's time...for rest." He let go of Nina's wrist and laid down on the floor. As his eyes closed, Fabian's skin returned to its normal complexion. In his room, Victor's eyes closed for the last time, too.

"Nina!" Fabian joyfully said. Then his expression went back to neutral. "Nina, I'm sor-"

Nina cut him off. "You don't have to say anything." She turned to look at the friends gathered around her: Amber, her stylish BBF; Patricia, who always worked to get her way; Fabian, who never gave up on her. Lastly her eyes settled on Joy, who had proved to be a great friend. "You all came here. You saved me. Thank you." She gave them a grateful smile.

Fabian looked at Amber. She turned to Patricia and Joy. "Okay, everyone's safe and sound. Can we go finish the movie now?"

Joy picked up on it first. "Yeah. C'mon, Patricia." She linked one arm through Amber's, the other through Patricia's.

"What about Fabian and Nina?" Patricia, who hadn't caught on yet, whispered to Joy.

"They'll catch up later. Let's go get some popcorn from the kitchen."

As they were walking through a hallway, Patricia stopped to look through a window. She noticed the receding headlights of the remaining former Society members' cars. "Anyone have money for a cab for later?" she asked. No one replied- they were too far ahead to hear her. She shrugged her shoulders and hurried to catch up to Joy and Amber.

Amber's cell started vibrating. She glanced down at the screen to read: 'Call from: Alfie.' "Hey, Alfie. What's up?"

"Nothing," he reported sadly. "Not a single alien spacecraft in sight. Just wondering how everyone is." Amber gave him a rundown of what happened. Alfie whistled. "Wow, you've certainly got more action over there. I'm watching Star Wars; Jerome is pretending to watch it but is really thinking about Mara. Mick's asleep. Mara's studying. So everything square then?"

"Yup."

"Hey, Ambs, tomorrow night would you fancy watching this movie about a drop-dead gorgeous alien princess with me?"

"Why not?"

"Great. Okay, then. See you when you get back." Alfie hung up, triumphantly throwing his fist into the air. "Yes!" He went back to watching the movie.

Fabian sat next to Nina, their backs against the wall. "Nina, listen, about me and Joy. There's nothing between us. We're just friends. And...about you and me: I'd like to be more." Fabian closed his eyes, so he wouldn't see if she smiled or recoiled. "Nina, would you be my girlfriend?"

_Well, everyone deserves another chance. Gran's always been big on forgiveness, and no matter how much I deny it..._ "Yes. I'd love to."

Fabian opened his eyes and noticed Nina's beautiful eyes staring back at him, her whole face lit up. He was pretty sure he was blushing, but he didn't care. Nina had agreed to be his girl. He leaned in and kissed her. When they broke apart, both wore dazzling smiles. If only Amber and her camera had been spying on them... They started talking about what to do with the ankh.

"I think it's like the Cup- we're stuck with it. I'll find somewhere to hide it later." Nina held Fabian's hand. "Let's go catch up with the others." They both stood up and, still holding hands, walked to the door.

Just as they were going through the doorway, Anubis spoke,"You deserve a break, Chosen One. Enjoy the rest of the week. Just be aware: this chapter may have ended, but this is only just the beginning."

Fabian and Nina exited. "It figures," she said.

"Well, where would we be without something strange happening? You know... that's one of the things I love about you: you're a girl of mystery."

Smiling, hand in hand, they strolled down the stone hallways. Each was curious as to what trouble would be brewing next, but for now they were content to be spending a peaceful night watching movies with their friends.

* * *

A/N: A door closes. I believe this story is complete. I've got that sad/happy feeling I get whenever something is finished. I hope you all liked the ending. Thank you to everyone who's read this...reviewed this...took the time to look at it. This has been a very positive experience for me. If you like my work I'm 'in progress' on House of Fish and Chips House of Matchmakers. I'll keep this up for a bit, next chapter I'll post the names of all my reviewers, so if you'd like your name up there review!

Please review if you read this! I'd like to know your thoughts on my story. Remember if you post a concern, make sure it's CC. Again thanks, everyone. See you somewhere in the FF universe. ;)


	25. Acknowledging my awesome reviewers

_A special thanks to all my reviewers:_

_You guys rock!_

samcabral

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Fabinaisawesome

rducky

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MyBabyKendizzle

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name here please

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Anubisfan9080

AutumnReign

2theleftx2

skywealsey651

the choson one

MsPaigeMeadows

Ice-Princess-93

Comma Dot and Ignorance

Tabyylynn

ScarletGrace45

clashercutie101

_Thanks again you guys!_


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